You know it when you see it, this light color purple deserves a special place in your stash. Perfect for a pretty, soft color palette or even to be used as a nice neutral tone. This V-01 | VIP Purple color is sure to blend into your collection with ease. It’s available in our full […]

Say it with love, and create a pretty set of stamped stationery. We shared (3) cards and coordinating envelope designs with the #CWL2016 participants for a variety of ways to use different stamps from all (6) stamp sets. If you love making special cards for family and friends, you will really enjoy how many options and great sentiments are inside each set.

When you love candy sweets and champagne bubbly it’s an extra special treat to combine them into a tasty gourmet flavored lollipop! We took a quick detour from the craft room into our test kitchen to create a yummy set of Champagne Flavored Lollipops. Full recipe and crafty how-to for creating pretty packaging are included in the #CWL2016 Collection.

If there is one thing you can count on at Clear and Simple Stamps, we LOVE to mask. We’ve stated this more times than you could count, we just can’t help ourselves – it’s hands down a favorite and easy way to alter images. Today we’re sharing a fun twist on this simple technique with a bit of Selective Masking. This is when you isolate an area of the stamp so that only a portion of the image is visible.

We also love the sentiment series in the Rag Doll Collection. Each doll is paired with a statement word and has supporting sentiments for a variety of uses. They can even be mixed and matched among the Rag Doll sets for creating more options. (Pssst….and for a limited time, these lil’ cuties are 50% off in the store as part of our Merry Markdowns here – run don’t walk, limited quantities available!)

Pairing cute character stamps with a bit of selective masking was a match made in heaven. We chose Rag Doll Mia: You to create an adorable set of stationery.

One thing to love about masking is that it does not take a ton of supplies. If you have plain tape and sticky notes, you can mask just about anything!

The fun part is peeling back the masks to reveal your newly crafted image. Here we wanted to place the ribbon banner from Party Elements: Winter Woodlands Extras between the Rag Doll and the main sentiment to create a pretty focal point.

We masked the sentiment to stamp the Rag Doll image, left a bit of space for where the banner would go, then stamped the image again masking the image so that only the words would stamp. We extended the lines of the letters up to meet the banner as needed with a fine tip black pen.

We see you checking out her cute little plaid shirt! Isn’t it adorable? We stamped the Rag Doll image onto scrap cardstock, colored in her shirt with markers and stamped it with the Plaid background stamp. A little fussy cutting and paper piecing makes these Rag Dolls pretty in plaid!

Remember to save your masks and keep them in the storage cases with your stamp sets for later use. Just another plus when it comes to masking – you can reuse them for future projects. Especially if you enjoy masking as much as we do…

Shop this project [here], to create an adorable set of Rag Doll stationery. Not to mention these character stamp sets make great crafty gifts for the holidays – definitely one to add to your #myCSSwish list…

Halloween is just a few short days away. Are you ready for a spooky good time? We sure are but our form of spooky happens to border along the lines of super duper cute Little Monsters! Not only are these monsters fun to color, they love to have a good time. Who says monster have to be scary? We actually prefer them a bit playful and cuddly, especially when creating fun party invitations.

To set the scene for this Monster Bash, we created with a mix of these CSS sets from our stamping stash:

We love that the Up and Away set comes with so many balloon string choices. The partial string images allows for fun placement and can turn any image into having a tied on balloon string.

After all, what’s a party without balloons…or sweet treats? Color coordinated sweet treats to be exact. Nothing sets the mood for a good time better than pre-party snacks that match your color story.

Carry your colors throughout the Monster Bash invitation suite and incorporate a matching envie liner. CSS Giftwrap creates a lovely light-weight liner that can be cut using the A4 Envie Liner die and coordinates perfectly.

You will have a ton of fun creating these invitations. To mix it up a little, try masking different monsters behind the word “hello”, or personalize each invitation with the guest’s name instead of the word “hello”. There are lots of adorable options for creating a monster good time…

Let the countdown begin! There are only twelve days remaining until Valentine’s Day, and you don’t want to get caught having to buy the last bunch of flowers with a couple broken stems from the corner gas station because that is all that is left on the shelf. Let us help you plan ahead with a simple way to dress up a Valentine’s Day favorite…chocolate candy bars.

First things first, you will want to use the chocolate bars that are wrapped in foil. If you can’t find any, you can easily purchase foil from any candy store retailer online, and cover your bars with pretty foil. Luckily we were able to easily find them at our local grocer.

Next, you will grab a few rolls of your favorite colors of Clear and Simple Stamps gift wrap to cut down to size – 5.5″ x 6.5″ to be exact, and stamp them with a mix of patterns and backgrounds. Once you’ve completed your stamping, wrap your chocolate bars and secure with Simple Adhesive. Be sure to run your thumb and index finger down the sides to create crisp, smooth edges.

Of course the only way to know if you are gifting good chocolates is to give them a taste test! Add an extra chocolate bar or two to your basket during checkout, so you can have a little snack while crafting…

Create your own candy bars wrapped in love… Shop the project [here] for a full supply list to create these custom wrappers for your chocolate-loving valentines…

Gift giving is an art. And it’s one that we are constantly adding new ideas to our collection of packaging possibilities. We’ve shared a few bags, tags, and gift cards in our Post Holiday Round-Up…and couldn’t resist sharing crafty gift box ideas for fun favors!

Life is like a box of chocolates…but life is a lot better when that box of chocolates is creatively handmade with a few Clear and Simple Stamps crafty supplies. Amber Kemp-Gerstel is sharing her creatively sweet project that is perfect for Valentine’s Day gifting.

We’ve all seen those heart-shaped chocolate gift boxes but they seem so impersonal. By creating your own box, you can add a personalized touch and fill it with homemade goodies.

With a few creative cuts of the Heart Doily die and a little Simple Adhesive, you can assemble a beautiful gift box that recipients will keep long after the candies have been eaten up. Join me at Damask Love for a tutorial on how-to make this heart-shaped box of chocolates on your own!

Are you loving this Heart Doily turned favor box as much as we do? We are completely smitten with this fun packaging idea!

We are a fan of color. Especially pretty pops of color, and two-tone gift boxes are a great way to have fun with color. For our two-tone boxes we chose A Blanc Check (white) as our first color and then varied the second color for each box to range in VIP Purple, I’m a Princess Pink, and Trendsetter Blue.

For these packages we used Party Favor 2, which comes with a die for the base and (2) die options for lids. Here we used only the base to create a slightly deeper box. In addition, we stamped diagonal stripes in color for a bit of added detail.

We wanted to make sure our lines matched up on the corners, so we used handy dandy sticky notes to create a guide.

HOW-TO: (1) We essentially masked off the base, with only the area we wanted to stamp showing. (2) We stamped the Designer Lines background on a diagonal in color across the open area. (3) Carefully rotate the sticky note mask to the next side panel. (4) Use the stamped off lines on the sticky notes as a guide for your next set of diagonal line stamping. (5) Repeat on all sides. (6) Remove sticky note mask and assemble using Simple Adhesive

Growing up we looked forward to seasonal candy. Halloween is candy corn, Christmas gives a nod to all things peppermint, and Valentine’s brings those adorably sweet, candy, conversation hearts. As a kid, we didn’t care how these assortment of sweets were delivered – just as long as we got the chance to eat as much of them as possible!

Now that we are “a little” older, we still love them…more so for looks than for the taste, and couldn’t wait to create our own version of packaging for gifting this sweet Valentine’s Day treat.

Party Favor 6 did all the heavy lifting. Once die cut, we simply die cut a heart from the back panel, which now serves as the front of the box. We did this so that the back flap would not show. Instead on the back we stamped a “to/from” image so that these favor boxes can also double as valentines!

We stamped the sentiment “heart candy” and heat embossed it in gold for a clean, modern design. The favor box was was assembled with Simple Adhesive, and a mini tag with a stamped sentiment was added with Gold/White Twine. The set All Wrapped up is

It’s 2014 and we still have a few gifts to deliver. With so much going on during the holidays, we love to give our gifts to close friends a little bit after the holidays when things seem to quiet down some and you can actually spend quality time without having to rush off to your next holiday event.

And then there are always those moments when you realize (dare we say it) that you forgot someone! You certainly do not want them to feel like an after thought, so today we are sharing a few “winter” gifting ideas that are perfect for those post-holiday encounters…

Gift tags set the stage for any gift. It’s the first impression, and of course it’s functional too. This set of Tags 1 tags was designed by Stephany Zerbe and we simply adore them! Each tag features a rustic-chic collage design and the mix of neutral colors with pops of red in the twine translate beautifully for woodsy, winter scenes.

These tags will work for seasonal birthdays, weddings, you name it – simply switch out the banner sentiment to suite your needs. Be sure to stop by Stephany’s blog for more details on creating each tag.

Whoever invented the idea for packaging things in gift bags is a pure genius! Talk about a time saver…and to be honest, a cute gift bag is a gift all in itself. We love the rustic look of burlap paired with the soft texture of Simple Felt.

The Flurry die is a great size for creating large focal points on these burlap bags. With just a few steps, these little bags are handy to store away for any last minute grab-and-go gifts.

HOW- TO: (1) Follow iron-on adhesive instructions to adhere to felt. (2) Trim to the size of the die, and die cut. (3) Follow instructions to iron on the applique to the burlap bag. (4) Sew on a button embellishment. (5) Die cut and tie on a monogram Alpha Tag.

Hands down gift cards are by far the easiest solution to any gift giving dilemma…but they can be pretty, um, how do we say it – boring. Stores give you a branded envelope and more than likely we throw it inside another envelope and hand it off with little fan fare. But truth be told – WE LOVE GIFT CARDS! It’s like getting cash, who doesn’t love a little extra spending change in your pocket?! So we challenge you to dress up your gift cards. Turn them into an experience, after all a gift card is a pretty great gift!

Around here we are heavy coffee and tea drinkers. We are talking 3-5 cups by mid morning kind of drinkers (might explain the sleepless nights…), so coffee/tea gift cards are always a welcomed gift and our inspiration for this fun packaging.

We mentioned earlier that tags set the stage for gifting. So have fun with them and create themed tags.

Here we grabbed the Coffee Cup and Partial Tag dies and went to town creating a “To-Go Coffee Cup” tag. The sleeve serves as our to/from label. Festive, fun, and perfect for gifting a coffee gift card.

For the gift card, we used the Gift Card Inset die. This little die seriously makes gift card gifting that much more fun and is a definite must have in your creative stash!

HOW-TO: (1) Measure the box, and simply cut (2) panels of cardstock to fit. (2) Score both sides so that the panels will sit up at the top of the box. (3). Die cut Gift Card Inset from only one panel. (4) Adhere the top and very bottom of panel (right below the inset score line). (5) Stamp sentiments, insert gift card, and insert into box.

The lid was measured, and we cut an insert from Kraft Like a Rockstar Gift Wrap. We love that it is a lighter weight than cardstock, and will easily adhere to the lid. It is stamped with a single sentiment and coffee bean image repeatedly to build a pattern.

TIP: For an added treat (for the senses) fill the bottom of the box with loose coffee beans. Not only will it look pretty, but it will smell amazing too!

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